


The Unnerving Mystery Surrounding Shane Madej

by jojosiewa



Series: It's Just the Wind, Ryan! [BFU] [1]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Believer Ryan Bergara, Boogara, Demon Shane Madej, Demon!Shane, Demons, Gen, Ghosts, Paranormal, Skeptic Shane Madej, demonshane, shaniac
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-22
Updated: 2018-11-22
Packaged: 2019-08-27 18:15:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16707559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jojosiewa/pseuds/jojosiewa
Summary: There's always been something about Shane.





	The Unnerving Mystery Surrounding Shane Madej

#### FATHER

Shane felt immediately agitated as he stepped closer to the church, and he hesitated, the hairs on his arms sticking up. But Ryan insisted, of course; they needed holy water, for their next location. So Shane nodded and walked in, dipping his head a bit. _For the show,_ he thought, _for Ryan._

_It'll just be a few minutes._

Ryan anxiously crumpled the old plastic water bottle in his hands, and Shane watched, quiet. He kept his eyes low, towards the ground and towards Ryan, the beautiful stained glass windows and carved wooden crucifixes only making him antsy, ready to leave.

Ryan seemed antsy too, but for another reason.

"You look, jumpy," Shane lifted himself to his toes and raised his shoulders for emphasis. "You alright?"

"I shouldn't have dug so deep into the Internet, Shane," Ryan whispered. "Screw all the tourist traps we've been to, this next place is real. I knew we had to do it, for the show, it'll be a perfect episode, but..."

"Oh come on, Ryan, nothing's gonna come out and getcha," Shane laughed a little, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jacket. "This is all just... it's probably fake." He was running out of clever ways to say he didn't believe in the paranormal.

"Deep web stuff is real, Shane."

"You shouldn't have stayed up so late at the motel last night, Bergara," Shane mocked, giggling, but it was hard to joke. He felt unbearably tense, and he knew that he and Ryan were close enough for Ryan to be able to tell something was wrong. But Shane was _mostly_ confident that it would turn out fine; Ryan had gotten close to figuring _it_ out before, and Shane had always been able to divert Ryan's thoughts.

"You're right, fuck, now I'm paranoid, huh?" Ryan scoffed. "But seriously, this place scares the shit out of me and I haven't even been there yet. Like, this is more real than, than the Sallie House."

"It'll be a very very good episode, then," Shane grinned, but worry sparked in his chest, making the tips of his fingers tingle. If Ryan was right, what would Shane have to deal with at this place? The Sallie House was tough enough, the demon giggled in his ear and wished for pain, wished to answer their summons for her with more than a flickering flashlight. Worse yet, Ryan may have spotted Shane staring into the darkness, glaring at what seemed like nothing to the naked human eye, warning her.

Shane had to hide the scratches on his arms for a few days until they went away.

"Father Barry!" Ryan perked up and walked faster as the elderly father he had contacted earlier came into view. Shane remained a few steps back, giving the father a calm smile and shaking his hand.

The father shook Ryan's hand too, and then he nodded. "You need some holy water, right?"

"I wanted to ask a few things too, for the episode, y'know," Ryan motioned behind him to the crew, inside but wavering closer to the entrance, waiting for command.

"Well, come sit," the father said pleasantly, and Ryan waved the crew over. "Thank you boys, really, I don't get much company around here, it gets, lonely."

Shane nodded, feeling a little better about being in the church. He knew what it was like to feel alone. _I was alone for a very long time._

Shane was zoning out as Ryan and the father spoke, but at some point he must've found interest in the words spoken, because he listened closely to the final question.

"Can a demon take human form? Could it, pose as a human without possessing?"

"A demon can take any form it chooses, human, animal, anything, really. Demons are masters of deception, too, so if a demon really did want to pose as a human, I'd say it could probably do so." The father glanced at Shane for a moment, than back to Ryan.

Shane felt like laughing at the irony, but he kept a straight face, and he nodded.

"I think that's all we need, oh, could you bless this water?"

"Of course son."

Shane stood first when it was over, eager to leave. Ryan smiled contently at his newly weaponized water bottle, and then looked up at Shane. "I feel a little better."

"Oh, that won't last," Shane laughed, patting Ryan's back.

"Asshole."

Ryan stood and playfully punched Shane's arm, starting to walk out. Shane almost followed.

"Shane, wait."

Shane froze, glancing back at the father. "Yeah?" He tried to act calm, but his body felt hot and all his instincts were telling him to get out of there, and fast.

Ryan waited by the door, out of earshot. He saw the discomfort in Shane's form.

"I am old, and I know the looks people give, and what they mean," the father took Shane's hand in both of his, and noticed Shane's hesitation. "You fear me."

"Not fear, exactly," and for a moment Shane's voice dropped, and thank god he was facing away from the others, because his eyes flicked to swirling, gaping black, and he snarled. He felt threatened.

The father looked into those eyes calmly. "I knew that your outward complexion lied, because eyes never lie, Shane, and yours are ancient."

"What are you gonna do?" Shane mumbled, and the father smirked, his piercing blue eyes seeming almost playful. Shane, in response, slumped his shoulders and let his eyes flick back to their normal deep brown. Human eyes.

"I watch your show, and I know you protect him. I'm not unfamiliar with deviations from the norm in the supernatural world. Keep the boy safe tonight."

Shane nodded, very slowly, and the father let him go.

"Now get out of here, I can tell how much you're bothered by it all," the father chuckled, and patted Shane on the back. Shane smiled back a little, confused, but thankful.

"Thank you father," he said, and they both exchanged glances. _Ironic._

Shane walked out, meeting Ryan at the door.

"What did he say?"

"Ah, y'know, just to like, stay safe and god bless you and stuff."

"Ah."

Ryan had an inkling that there was something more than that, something that had made Shane go stiff, paralyzed.

"Hey, look, Ryan, if you get like, super freaked out, we can stand outside wherever the hell we're going for a while so you can take a break, alright?" Shane's voice dripped with sincerity, and Ryan scoffed. "Shut up, I'm not running out on a place ever again. I... I want some proof. I want to see some stuff, I want some footage."

"Oh Ryan. It really has been a tough season for the Boogaras. You're getting angry," Shane poked at Ryan, who squirmed and stepped away. "Shane! Don't think that this is gonna make me tell the demon to rip my heart out or whatever. That's all you," he pointed at Shane and glared. "All you, buddy."

They got into the car, Shane still snickering.

"But... don't take it... too far? I want us both to be safe."

Shane sighed, and shut his eyes. "I want us both to be safe too, Ryan. There's nothing to worry about."

#### DRIVE

It was quiet in the car during the night's drive, which was odd when both boys were awake. There was usually talking and laughing and silliness that came with being best friends. But Shane was gazing out the window and Ryan's eyes were fixed on the road. The silence was somehow deafening.

"Is there something with churches you don't like?"

The question made a pulse of fear rattle Shane's body. He clutched at his chest and sighed. Fear again. He'd been afraid a lot today. What a horribly human thing to be.

"No, I, it doesn't matter, Ryan, I'm just not religious. It makes me feel kind of, awkward, I dunno. Guilty." He whispered the last word, the truth slipping out from between his lips. His eyes were half lidded, and he stared at the dashboard.

"Shane–"

"I'm gonna get some shut eye." Shane pushed his seat back a bit and angled his head away from Ryan, shutting his eyes and hoping it would make Ryan stop talking.

It did. Ryan looked back at the road, worry for his friend pulsing through his thoughts like blood through the body.

Shane heard Ryan sigh. And tap his fingers against the wheel. And everything else after that, because Shane never really slept.

The quiet was excruciating.

#### INFESTATION

The quaint little home was old; the wood floor creaked beneath their feet and the noises of settling were frequent.

"Another demon house, nice. Let's find a cozy place to sit," Shane stepped into the living room without hesitation, as per usual, and Ryan quivered behind him with his eyes darting around nervously.

"Alright, let's set up all the shit," Ryan addressed the crew and started speaking with them. Shane backed away.

He walked straight upstairs, and his eyes turned black, peering through the darkness.

"ˢʰᵃⁿᵉᵈʲ..."

The faint whisper came from what looked like an artsy room of sorts. There were dusty easels littered with spiderwebs and paint cans and paintbrushes littered about. The walls were partially painted a calming light blue.

Shane picked up a newspaper that was next to his feet. It was from the seventies; it spoke of the Vietnam war and the movement for peace.

He squinted at the big photo on the front, filled with protesters with signs and tie dye, and his eyes widened.

He was there, wearing a tie dye headband and flashing peace signs.

He remembered that event. If anyone saw this...

He ripped the picture out and pocketed it, glancing around. He tossed the newspaper haphazardly and jumped as he heard the whisper again, right in his ear.

"ᴳᵒᵗ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰⁱⁿᵍ ᵗᵒ ʰⁱᵈᵉ, ˢʰᵃⁿᵉᵈʲ?"

"Quit the theatrics," Shane mumbled. "Listen. When I'm in this house, I make the rules. No harm comes to the humans, sure, play around, scare them, I don't care. But no physical harm."

"Oh Shanedj, your rules are boring." The voice was no longer a whisper. The demon was agitated. "I like to play with my food, but I like to eat it too."

Shane growled. "You better fucking–"

"Shane!"

Shane's eyes changed just in time for Ryan to see him in the room. "Shane, don't, look, just, be serious, okay? Don't go off alone."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ryan, nothing is gonna happen." A lie.

"You seriously don't sense anything creepy about this place?"

"No, Ryan, it's a nice home." Another lie.

"You're impossible," Ryan grabbed Shane's wrist and dragged him downstairs. Shane felt a breath on his neck and he narrowed his eyes, hoping there wouldn't be too much of a problem.

#### PLAY

"...into the question, are ghosts, _and demons_ , real?"

Shane shook his head.

"Today we'll be investigating the surprisingly mostly unknown, but still terrifying, Casa de la Luna. Not only are there several reported ghosts in this home, but there are rumors of something far more sinister and powerful."

Ryan went on as usual, skimming over the history of death in the house and focusing more on the demon, which, to Shane's dissatisfaction, was apparently named Lola. The demon appeared as flickering shadows on the walls and was extremely violent to intruders, with several reports of thrown objects and mysterious scratches from various ghost hunters.

It was a good episode. Lights flickered, they heard noises, distant whispers, and Ryan freaked out a lot. Nothing seemed to be amiss, but Shane heard giggling in his ear.

They eventually made their way upstairs, and it was time for the separate sessions.

"So, the half painted room there is where we'll do it, I'll use the spirit box, Shane–"

"Get that thing away from me or so help me–"

"Okay, I get it. You go first this time."

"Alright."

Shane stepped back into the room and waved as Ryan shut the door, grinning.

His smile fell.

With the camera on him, he couldn't say anything to the demon, but he felt her in there, and he warned her silently to leave Ryan the fuck alone.

The ghosts weren't there, they were afraid. Two demons in one room; if Shane were a ghost he'd be afraid too.

"Alright ghosts," he sunk into his on-camera persona, rising to his tiptoes and falling back on his heels again. "This is your chance. Talk to me, give me a little, push? Whatever you want."

It was quiet.

"What about the demon?" This was his chance.

"You know I've faced demons before, yeah," he nodded his head, puffing out his chest. "Ever heard of, Sallie? Or, the Goatman? Pretty scary dudes, y'know. They couldn't lay a hand on Shane Madej! Hand? Claw?"

He heard her growling and snarling all around him, and he laughed. "Come and get me, if you dare!"

He held out his arms, radiating power into the room, and the demon retreated with one last snarl; for Shane was more powerful than she.

Shane grinned. _That's what I thought, Roph._

"Time's up, Shane. You dead yet?"

"Nope!" Shane opened the door, smiling. "I had a delightful time in there Ryan, good luck."

"Fuck you," Ryan said, clutching his holy water. As soon as he walked in Shane slammed the door shut, and Ryan cussed him out from inside.

He turned to the cameraman and started to give his usual spiel while he waited for Ryan.

Inside, Ryan held the spirit box with shaky hands. "I'm going to turn this on, maybe you can try to talk to me through it," he fumbled with it for a minute and then turned it on, and right outside Shane winced.

"I hate that thing," the nonhuman said to the camera, shaking his head. I'm reality, he hated it because it was extremely unbearable to hear all those wailing spirits trying so desperately to be heard. The poor things.

"My name's Ryan, can you say Ryan back to me?"

Ryan asked his usual routine questions, and Shane covered his ears.

"s̸̨̛̳̜̣̠̪̙͇̭̠̲͉͇̘̃͒̇̈́͑̿̅̾͊̆̋̄̑h̷̩̓̌.̵̮͙̱̣̬͎̅̔̔̉͒̆͋.̴̖̣̔̆ṉ̵̨̧̛̰̣͎̬̤̻̖͍͚́́̂̑̔́̏̔̐̍̈́͒̕ͅ.̵̧̧̠̯͓̬̬͚͚̼͕͈͖̿̂̋͜ͅ.̷̢̗͕̭̭͈̝̟̓̓̏̋̎̐͠ͅ ̵̻̩̖̺̿́.̶̯̪̿.̵̡̢̡̝̟͕̞̣͓̣̠̱͖͔͚̍̌̐̉̊̋́̇͐̍̿̚ş̶̬͖̯͉̹̖̃̂̆̆͊͑͑̏͘͝ ̴̨̘̻͉̲̥̞̫̫̰͂͊͊̏͑̅̓̕͠ủ̷̡͎̜͖̫̻͈̭̘̥͎̮͇̼̺͆͊́̏͝͝.̸̨̨͙̹̯͇̤̪̫̅̃̒̉͂̚.̴̺̂̾͌͛̏̌̏͜ ̷̡̡̹͙͓̬̱̮͈̥̠̻̟̿̊͌̂̾͒̈́̐͂̋͐̚͝d̶̢̨̙̘̰̤̣̳̖̾͊̄̊ͅͅe̵̛͔̼̮̊̔̂̒̈́́͝m̴̛̛͖̗̥̘͙̎͐̂͠.̵̧̢̠͎̩͉̥̰̤̗̹̬̗̯̽͒̌͋͐͜.̵̨̡̨̡̫̱̞͓͇͚͙̘̱̥̥̓̊̓̾̑̾̀̊̾.̸̛̭̑͐̅̿̓̓̌̓̈́͝͝͠.̵̨̧̛͙͚̜̖̞͚̥̼̰̟̮͙̈́̈͋̅̌̚͜͝ì̸̖̥̱̘̱͓̲͕̪̰̎̆̍͋̕o̴̢̜̫̘̟̳̭͖͕̟̟̤̤̟͆̐͗̎͌̓͆̉͑ͅ."

"What? Did you say something?" Ryan swore he heard something, and he waited. But nothing more came out, and he silently decided to go over the clip later.

"Sorry," he said, and then he turned the spirit box off, to Shane's relief.

Ryan opened the door, sighing.

"Get anything?"

"We'll see."

#### DANGER

Soon the time came for them to sleep in the house. Ryan was quivering as they set up their sleeping bags, and he moved as close to Shane as he could. Shane had always made him feel safe, well, when he wasn't taunting dangerous demons, that is.

"Okay. I can do this I can do this..."

"You can do this buddy," Shane rolled his body onto his side, shutting his eyes. "I believe in you."

He was not afraid of the demon getting Ryan in his sleep, for he had scared her enough for her to stay back, right?

The lights went off and Shane pretended to doze off, feeling Ryan pressed against his back. It wasn't unusual, they slept like that a lot on location and at motels. They were best friends, and best friends could get close. Shane didn't mind if Ryan clung onto him; stupid human societal norms and unnecessary sexual implications did not concern him.

At some point, after tossing and turning, Ryan sat up, his breath tight in his chest, his heart beating heavily. He didn't check the time. He just got up, and padded over to the bathroom, dismissing the swirling darkness as his eyes playing tricks on him, as they often did in the dark.

He shut the door, panting, trying to control himself. He had been awake all that time, hearing noises and seeing things, envying Shane for being able to sleep so easily in a house so infamous for death.

He took a few more shaky deep breaths and finally opened his eyes.

Shane's inhuman eyes shot open when he heard Ryan shriek, black and angry. He jolted up, almost forgetting the camera was on him, and his heart began to pitter patter with fear. He scrambled to his feet and followed Ryan's heat signature, nearly slamming against the bathroom door and trying the knob, to no avail.

He heard the loud grandfather clock in the other room, and it felt as if his whole body vibrated in response to the low pitch noise.

_Duunnng._

_Duunnng._

_Duunnng._

Shane felt energized; it was three am, he was at his peak strength, and so he slammed his shoulder against the door with all his demonic might and shouted. "RYAN!" But the door didn't budge. Shane barely noticed the fact that he had broken the knob clean off.

"SHANE!" He felt Ryan frantically pounding against the door from the other side.

"WHAT'S GOING ON?!" But Shane already knew what was going on. Good ol' Roph wanted revenge for her humiliation. It was hard keeping up a charade of being a skeptic human while also keeping his best friend from getting mauled to death.

"JUST GET ME OUT GOD PLEASE!" Ryan looked behind him, on all the walls of the bathroom, where dripping red letters littered even the shower curtain.

It just said **RYAN** , over and over and over, filling the bathroom with bright red.

" **HE'S MINE NOW SHANEDJ!** " The raspy female voice echoed through the house, and Ryan screamed again. The small bathroom immediately fell into pitch black darkness. Ryan couldn't see.

" **Get away from him,** " Shane growled, pressing against the door. " **Or you're gonna have to deal with me.** "

"SHANE! SHANE GOD I CAN'T SEE!"

"RYAN GET OUT OF THE WAY!"

Shane rammed himself against the door again, and he felt it splintering. He stepped back, and ran at it once more, and it broke. He tumbled inside, the shadows in the room fleeing away, pouring out the door.

Shane panted, leaning against the tub. "Ryan, what the fuck happened?" He glanced at Ryan, who was shaking violently, his eyes wide and bloodshot. Ryan swore he saw black in Shane's eyes where it shouldn't have been, just for a moment. He put it aside.

"The- the the the- I–" he looked around, his mouth hung open.

All the writing on the walls was gone.

"Shane I swear to god this wasn't my eyes playing tricks on me."

Shane sighed. "Ryan."

"Shane I swear, I fucking swear, I saw writing on the walls, and then everything went pitch black, I swear to god. I'm not crazy, Shane, don't look at me like that!"

Shane felt so horrible for lying and treating his friend this way. "It's okay. It's okay Ryan, you're just really tired. You just saw–"

"Shane, we need to get out." Ryan was frozen in place. Shane nodded. "Okay."

Shane guided Ryan out of the bathroom.

"We're gonna have to pay for that door, huh," Ryan mumbled, and Shane rubbed his friend's arms. "Cross that bridge when we come to it, Ryan, it wasn't your fault. I thought you were like, having a stroke or something, I don't know."

"It was the fucking demon. We need to get the fuck out, fuck the cameras, someone else can deal with that shit," Ryan grabbed Shane's wrist and pulled him towards the front door. "I'm not dying for this stupid show."

Shane nodded silently, and let Ryan lead him out of the house, and into the rental car.

"I'll drive," Shane assured, and Ryan nodded.

Ryan's eyes were wide open, and they stayed that way for the whole drive. He kept seeing things through the window, but if he closed his eyes it was all there again, his name in red and then the darkness.

And then Shane.

"What the fuck," Ryan mumbled. "What the fuck just happened to me."

"Look, we're almost at the motel, just, stay calm, we'll sort this out."

"You're such an asshole. You don't believe me, you think I'm crazy."

"I absolutely do not think–"

"I ALMOST FUCKING GOT MY SOUL SUCKED OUT BY A FUCKING DEMON!"

Shane shut his mouth.

"Fuck... fuck demons, man."

The rest of the drive was filled with dead silence.

#### MOTEL

Ryan left the motel room bathroom door open when he showered, telling Shane to just look away. Shane did, and he sat on the solitary bed and picked at the old wood with a black claw.

_Fuck demons, man._

Shane knew he shouldn't have been feeling so hurt. It was Ryan, he'd said it before. But for some reason this time was different.

Shane let his claw turn back into a hand, and he stared at it, grateful for the ability to change his appearance.

He nudged the bedside drawer open with his foot and averted his eyes from the Bible inside.

_Fuck demons, man._

He slammed the drawer shut.

He heard the shower shut off, and then fabric rustling, and then Ryan pulled the covers from the bed. "I'm not gonna be able to sleep."

"Self-fulfilling prophecy, Ry," Shane tucked his long legs under the light sheets and rolled over, closing his eyes and still trying to dismiss Ryan's words.

"I know. Fuck."

"Just, try to focus on something else, aight? Count sheep."

"Fine." Ryan looked up at the ceiling, and Shane leaned over to turn the light off. "I'm still not crazy. I know what I saw."

"Yeah yeah sleepy time," Shane touched Ryan's temples, and suddenly the shorter male was asleep.

Shane smiled and sunk into the bed. He had done that little sleep trick on Ryan many times before. No tossing and turning, just a deep, comforting sleep. Hopefully; Shane couldn't control Ryan's nightmares, however.

#### WARNING

Ryan was in the house again, this time alone, in the bathroom with the writing scrawled all over the walls. **RYAN.**

He was standing by the door, frozen still, and he heard Shane shouting and banging on the door from the other side.

He was staring at the spirit box, which was on, sputtering out horrid screams, no longer quiet whispers like they usually got. He struggled to understand.

"Please repeat that!" He exclaimed, and the banging on the door rattled the whole room.

"Ḩ̴̢̹̻̖͎̙̗̩̰̫̤͖͆͑͒̓̔̈́͊̿̓̈̚A̴̲̠̰̟̎̄͗̿̿̑̏̀̂̐̾͘̕͝Ỷ̸̨̡̡͔̙̘͙͎̪̗̂̎̒̚ ̷̰͈̭̱͖̼̊̅̄͌̊̾U̴̡͈͇̮͉͑̓̃͊̀́̀͂̂̔̒̑͝Ṉ̶̗͎̪͓̱̯͈̱̦̠̦̦̦̙̾̐̓̚͝ ̵̛̜̣̪͍̤̜̦̗̞̠̈́͊͆̆̂D̷̛͇̹̃̑̑̓͗͝Ē̵̢̨̞̭̗͓̩̜̫̂̌̇̍͘̕̕M̵̡͔̦̒̏̆Ö̸͈͕̝̓͊̔̉͑͜͝ͅN̸̲̰̘͈͑͋̈́̽̆̓̊̄̆̿͘͠I̶̡͍̦͓̋̓͒͗̈́̉̕Ǫ̴͉͙͈͈͕̔̓̌̆̃̆͝͝,̶̨̟͖͔̭̻̩͕̘̱̏̐̈́̍̈̆͑́̕͘͘͠͝ͅͅ ̴̨̡͉̼͔̪͍̞̪͉̦̯̱̖̈́̇̋̆̀͋̄̓̉̚͜͝Ș̴̡͓̩̌͑͛̾͑̐ͅH̶̗̬͓̙̎͑́̓͛̏̚͜͜Â̴̧̠̭̯̋̋̐̉̽̂̾̾͘̚ͅŅ̴̨̖̗͎̯̱̝̟͙̝̮͒̒̄̚̕É̸̢̨̡̠͓̫̜͉̭͖̏̔̌̍́͂ͅD̶̘͎̯̰̍͋̽̋͝J̸̡̡̫̹̹͔͎̻͓͍̗̞͎̑̈́̽͜ ̷̲̫̣̻͕͎̺̼̆̍̈̄́̾̿̿̿͐̕͝ͅS̵̢͍͍͙̫͇̹͍̗͙̗̃̅̎̐̐͛̏̎͘̚͝H̴͍̥͓͑͒A̴͉̐͐͗̃̕͝Ņ̸̫̯͚̘̪͕̠̩̰̳̺̪̙̈́̅̅̔̐̃̋E̴̢̲̗͙̼͚̯̞̥͙̔̊̈́͊͗̆̄̊͜͠ͅD̸̮͍̤̜͌̐̊̈́͗̏̌ͅJ̸̢̺̮̬̞̺̺̝̳̹̫͖͑̅̉̈́̎!"

"What!" Ryan stepped closer to the spirit box. "What is it!"

"Ṋ̷̨͙͓̪̪̓͆̎͐̿̀́̈̚Ę̸͖͇̳͚̰̘̱͍̗̲̳͉̈́̿͂̂͋͌̀͐Ċ̵̢̛̫̰̰͍̘̩͐͛̍̈́̚͝E̵̦̠̺͉̖͊̚S̴̢̘͖̮̺̦̯̪̟̐̊̿̊̈̂̔̏͗͌̇͘͠͝I̶̱̣̅̈̀̓T̷̢̢̰̰̘̯̼͖̝̦̝̓̍͂̅́͝ͅǍ̶̺̰̥̭̻͎͓̭̥͕̫̜̣̑ͅS̸̡̱̟̤̘̥̬̝͐̅̊ ̶̧̞͍̘̦͛̿̏͛̀̓͆̅̏̍͊͝C̶̡̧͖̬̦̠̠̪̬͚̮̣̺̃̈́̆͂͋̍̊̈́O̶̢͍̠͚̫̱̩͉͑̍͐́͆͜͝ͅR̷͙̩̹̣̤̣̣̺͚̟̪̭̽́͑͋̈́̃R̸̥̹̪̥͍̦̙̞̜͖̝̅̑̇̕ͅȨ̴͔̈̊̂͜͠Ŗ̷̧̫̗͍̤̌̎͜ ̷̡̢̛͍̙͕̰̬̜͉͖̺͙̥̟͍̈̂͑̏̚D̸͚̭͈̈̈́̋̌̾̏͑̎̃͜͝E̸͕̻̘̭̼̦̜̘̙̬̼̗̪̲͚͛̔͑͊͋͊̋̌̉̄̇̒͒͠͝M̸̛͈͔͓̱̝̘̟̂̑͗̽͝Ǫ̴̡͍͔̗̬̟̩̳̯͔̙͙̺̖͛͋̽͗͗̀͘N̷̯̖̝̹͎͓̽͋͂̔̏͝ͅǏ̶̛͚̘͚̮̟̮͙̺͙̖̠͒̍̏̄̉̈́͑̽̄̑̾͜Ơ̴̡̩̙̂̂̂̾̓̏̈́̇̑̔͘ ̴̨̧̩͎̞̲̳͚̩͎̟̫͇̄D̶̻̭̂̄̉̓̈́̏͜E̴̖̜͘M̶̡͙̜̰̳̼͙͓̖͖̣͎̻͙͗͗͊͑̀̐͗̂̚͝Ǫ̸̧̧͈̻͖̣̰̘̮͈͇̋̿̌̔̅̌̃͛̉̿̋̕͜͝N̵̡͉̲͍̻̹̩̯̤̆͑I̵͚̥̦̤̘̫̮̗͚̳͊̓̿̊̈́̿̕͘͜ͅͅO̵̢̢̲͈̭͉̟̦͓̮̿͊̓́̆!"

The banging coming from Shane sounded sinister, as if his intentions for getting in weren't good at all. Ryan turned towards the noise and backed away, feeling increasingly terrified, gasping for air with every bang, until Shane broke through and stumbled into the room.

"Shane?"

When Shane turned around, his eyes were pitch black.

And then Ryan woke up, panting, sweating, wide eyed.

"Morning, Ryan, nightmare?" Shane poked his head out of the bathroom door. The horrifying image of those black eyes made him jump when he saw Shane's face.

But it was normal, everyday Shane Madej, cocoa brown eyes and all.

"Yeah, it, it was weird."

"It was just a dream, remember. You're safe."

 _Safe. Just a dream._ Ryan nodded, and watched Shane as he left the bathroom and picked up a menu for room service. "What're we thinking for breakfast? Oh, and the crew is going back to get all the cameras, and stuff, no problem, our plane leaves at three, and there'll be dinner."

"Room service is fine, we have until noon to leave the hotel room, right?"

"Yeah."

"Room service is fine."

Shane was bustling about, packing, cleaning the room, and for some reason Ryan was still paralyzed, fear lodged in his throat, afraid that if he moved... well, he didn't really know what he was afraid of.

Finally he got up, walking as if on eggshells, to the bathroom. He found the strength to close the door, and take a few deep breaths, assuring himself that they left the demon behind at the house.

When he came back out Shane was done, dressed, ready to go. There was an outfit left on Ryan's side of the bed for him, and his suitcase was left unzipped so he could tuck his pajama clothes back in.

"Jeez, man, you're punctual today. We haven't even ordered breakfast yet."

"Yeah, well, you... kinda freaked me out last night, Bergara," Shane tried to smile, but Ryan could tell it was fake; there was worry in his eyes.

"There was no way my imagination could have conjured that, Madej. That was too real."

"Look, just tell me if you start, seeing, anything else."

"Stop calling me crazy."

"I didn't."

"You implied it."

Shane turned the television on and they browsed the channels mindlessly, settling on the National Geographic documentary show Ancient Aliens, the star of which they'd invited on Unsolved once, recently. Shane found himself rolling his eyes a lot at the show.

"I actually can't wait until True Crime," Ryan sighed. Shane chuckled. "Me too."

They ordered their food, and received it, and it was surprisingly delicious.

Ryan finished getting ready and they got all their stuff in order, heading out around eleven.

The rest of the day went by like a blur. They returned their rental car, took a shuttle to the airport, and ate lunch there. They walked around and bought some books to read, their usual lighthearted banter returning. Ryan fell asleep while waiting for the plane (with Shane's secret demonic help) and then they started boarding first class, of which the boys were not.

"Ryan, wakey wakey, we're getting on in a minute," Shane shook Ryan awake. "Hey buddy, sleep better?"

"The same nightmare, you just cut it off though," Ryan rubbed his tired eyes, blinking awake. He glanced at Shane, just to make sure his eyes were their usual kind, calming brown. They were.

Ryan _did_ feel crazy. _It was just a dream._

But for some reason, on the plane, while Shane was looking out the window, Ryan used the free plane WiFi to scan through the "demon!shane" tag on tumblr, seeing all the portrayals of black eyes and horns and wings and jagged, feral teeth. Usually he'd laugh at this, but for some reason...

He eyed Shane, and knew that if he were a demon, it would explain a lot of things.

And then he realized the complete absurdity of it all, and he shook his head, scoffing and setting his phone down.

#### SUSPICION

"The crew is back with the footage, Ry!"

"Great," Ryan chugged his coffee as he approached his desk, which was located right next to Shane's. "I don't know what we're going to do with it, we didn't really finish the investigation, or film us leaving, or–"

"We'll make it work. You gonna tell anyone about the bathroom?"

Ryan hesitated. "I... don't think so. It's not, I mean, if you didn't believe it... I don't want people to think I'm having some kind of mental breakdown. We don't need it anyway, if we film an explanation in a studio today about what happened and why we didn't stay the whole night, and keep it vague, then we should be fine." Ryan felt bad for keeping information from the Boogaras, from all the viewers, but the whole thing was too... real.

Shane patted Ryan's back. "It was just sleep deprivation, Ryan, you were probably half sleeping and then your little overactive imagination–"

"I don't wanna hear it, Madej," Ryan hissed at Shane, and the two finally had it in them to laugh off the whole experience. Shane made Ryan strong like that.

It was a long day. Going through footage, trying to catch any extra noises. The boys went into the sound room a couple times to bicker over a creak or a screech, an animal or a ghost or just the old house.

"Ryan, it was a very old house, and that neighborhood was owl central!"

"But why would there start to be a whole bunch of weird ass noises right when you were taunting the fucking demon? You made it mad!"

 _I thought I made her back off,_ Shane thought, listening to the screeching and guttural growling in the clip.

"I don't know what to tell you, Ryan."

Ryan pouted angrily and glared daggers at Shane, who started laughing.

"I'm disappointed, Madej. Very disappointed," he shook his head and pinched his nose.

"Anything else, buddy?"

Ryan shook his head, reaching for the camera to turn it off. "I just gotta analyze the spirit box, that's all. And you'll say it's gibberish, as always."

Shane giggled and punched Ryan lightly on the back a few times. "You know me so well."

 _There are a lot of things I don't know about you, too,_ Ryan thought, but he shook it off. Shane had always been an enigma, appearing at Buzzfeed out of nowhere a few years back and charming everyone in the office almost immediately, Ryan included. He didn't speak much about his past, or his family, or why he even wanted to be at Buzzfeed in the first place.

"Shane, what are your goals in life?" Ryan had once asked, and Shane had shrugged. "Have fun."

And even in present time Ryan wondered, is Shane really just doing this to have fun? Everything? Buzzfeed, Unsolved... did he have plans, or was he riding the waves? When he offered to co host Unsolved, was that just him trying to hitch a ride on a big one?

"Shane, I want to go big," Ryan said, stopping Shane right before he left the sound room. "Ry?"

"I... I've always wanted to do something like this, my entire life. But I want... I mean, this isn't my end goal, I'm still young, I can do better than Buzzfeed," he spoke the last phrase quietly because god forbid someone hears him speak such mutiny, "I've been trying to slowly separate the show, I've been pushing for our own channel and I think we might get it this time," Ryan turned and faced Shane. "Shane, would you, if I left Buzzfeed would you follow me?"

Shane smiled. "Of course Ryan, I already follow you everywhere else, why not follow you to one more new place?"

No hesitation. No fear of failure. Shane had never been afraid like Ryan, he had always been the tough one. Never afraid. Not of death, or disappointment.

It was starting to make Ryan irritated.

"What if I run your career into the ground? You aren't afraid of that?"

"Ryan, come on, we will be fine, no matter what happens," Shane reached out, and rubbed Ryan's arm. "Okay?"

"God, Shane, for one second just entertain me with one ounce of fear," Ryan walked past Shane, storming off.

Shane shut his mouth and stood, confused, frowning. He fucked up somehow, but how? Humans were complicated, and even after all this time he was still learning.

He followed Ryan back to their desks and sat, but Ryan was still being cold to him.

Sometimes humans needed space, so Shane backed off. He heated leftover takeout for lunch and felt unproductive. Usually they spoke, a lot, and bickered, and Ryan asked for Shane to help him decide how to edit certain parts of the episode. But not today.

Ryan was silent, headphones in, focusing on the spirit box.

And it seemed like he got something good.

#### ANALYZATION

There was one phrase in particular on the spirit box that Ryan was trying to figure out. He heard parts of it clearly, but of course it was the spirit box, and it was all choppy.

He isolated the clip and shut his eyes, trying to focus, trying to listen.

"s̸̨̛̳̜̣̠̪̙͇̭̠̲͉͇̘̃͒̇̈́͑̿̅̾͊̆̋̄̑h̷̩̓̌.̵̮͙̱̣̬͎̅̔̔̉͒̆͋.̴̖̣̔̆ṉ̵̨̧̛̰̣͎̬̤̻̖͍͚́́̂̑̔́̏̔̐̍̈́͒̕ͅ.̵̧̧̠̯͓̬̬͚͚̼͕͈͖̿̂̋͜ͅ.̷̢̗͕̭̭͈̝̟̓̓̏̋̎̐͠ͅ ̵̻̩̖̺̿́.̶̯̪̿.̵̡̢̡̝̟͕̞̣͓̣̠̱͖͔͚̍̌̐̉̊̋́̇͐̍̿̚ş̶̬͖̯͉̹̖̃̂̆̆͊͑͑̏͘͝ ̴̨̘̻͉̲̥̞̫̫̰͂͊͊̏͑̅̓̕͠ủ̷̡͎̜͖̫̻͈̭̘̥͎̮͇̼̺͆͊́̏͝͝.̸̨̨͙̹̯͇̤̪̫̅̃̒̉͂̚.̴̺̂̾͌͛̏̌̏͜ ̷̡̡̹͙͓̬̱̮͈̥̠̻̟̿̊͌̂̾͒̈́̐͂̋͐̚͝d̶̢̨̙̘̰̤̣̳̖̾͊̄̊ͅͅe̵̛͔̼̮̊̔̂̒̈́́͝m̴̛̛͖̗̥̘͙̎͐̂͠.̵̧̢̠͎̩͉̥̰̤̗̹̬̗̯̽͒̌͋͐͜.̵̨̡̨̡̫̱̞͓͇͚͙̘̱̥̥̓̊̓̾̑̾̀̊̾.̸̛̭̑͐̅̿̓̓̌̓̈́͝͝͠.̵̨̧̛͙͚̜̖̞͚̥̼̰̟̮͙̈́̈͋̅̌̚͜͝ì̸̖̥̱̘̱͓̲͕̪̰̎̆̍͋̕o̴̢̜̫̘̟̳̭͖͕̟̟̤̤̟͆̐͗̎͌̓͆̉͑ͅ."

He altered some settings, gritting his teeth and trying to fix the horrid sound into something remotely legible.

"s̶̨̡͈̟̱̹͈̩̝̲͉̀̇́̔̊̉̈̔̆͊͘͝͠h̶̯̦͒̒̍̆̈́͋͑͒͂̚̕ȃ̸̛̯̣̭̻͉͈̬͕̤͓͈̈́̊͌̊͛̎̚̚n̸͈̤͎̤̠͕̭̽̉̑̌̓̇͆̑̂̐̐̿̚͘e̷̗̱̤̥͈̤̰͍͚̘͈̘̾̃̄̆̍ ̸̰̟͖̪̻̂̔̏̍̽̅̅̿̎̎͊͑͠͝.̴̛̮͖͕͇͌̽̏̍͗̒̓̒͌.̴̡̝̪͚̼̭͎̪̺̮̦̳͖̯͊̏̎̎̂͌ͅŝ̵͓̯̘͛͌̇͋ ̴̛̳͖̟̩̥͊̐̈͒u̵̥̹͌̆̈́̂͆͆̄̍̚̚͜͠.̵̢̗͉̯̖̱͚̫̬̪͔͖̼̅̍̕͜͠.̶̖͕̹̯̳̮̟̯̩͚̳͔̰̿̀̽͂̈͜͝ ̷̢̡̠̞̝̤͚͍̃̑̂ď̵͇̪̭̖̠͎̺̾̄͑͜ͅë̵͖̳̳̮̥́̀̔͆̃͌̎̈́m̵̰͎̗̝͖̺͐͆̒̈́̓͊̊͒̄̓̐ő̷̤͔͙̫͍͓̗̰̮͎͍͜ņ̷͔̲͛̈́̐̏̓̓̅̓̉̀̾̚̕̕͠i̴̛̬͒͋̍̍͝͠ǫ̷̣͖̝̗̻̮̻̗̖̱̥͊͐̉͛̽́̚͜͜ͅ."

Suddenly breathing was hard, and Ryan sat, frozen, realizing two words he recognized. He played the clip again, because _no way._

It was clear in his head now, and his ears rang when he paused the clip.

" **shane** es un **demonio.** "

Demonio.

Demon.

Ryan, frozen in his seat, his hands beginning to shake, slowly turned his head towards Shane.

In an instant, the tall man eating takeout and lazily browsing on his computer was no longer familiar. His brown eyed gaze was sinister, his posture awkward, and for a moment Ryan realized how much Shane looked like, rather than exhibiting human behavior, he was mimicking it. Ryan didn't know if it was just his imagination or if he had just realized it; maybe it was the way Shane slouched or the way he ate, or the way his resting face looked, but he got a hint of something synthetic.

But at the same time... maybe not. Probably not?

He didn't know.

But dammit, he'd find out.

And so Ryan turned back to all the footage, and this time the question was not are ghosts real, but rather, who or what was Shane Alexander Madej?

#### RESEARCH

Ryan felt utterly, completely ridiculous that night. He kept stopping, laughing at himself for being serious about this. Shane? A demon?

But he told himself it was more than that, it was Shane himself. If Shane wasn't a supernatural entity (which was honestly the more likely option), he was definitely hiding things about himself. Did he really grow up in Illinois? Was he who he said he was? Was he human?

The last question kept slipping into Ryan's mind but he tried not to acknowledge it. _Shane is not a demon, Bergara!_

So, Ryan researched. He sat at his computer at home and tried to find any record of Shane before he showed up at Buzzfeed. He treated it as if he were researching for an episode of Unsolved.

_No official record of Madej exists before his time at Buzzfeed. It was as if he just appeared in LA, fully grown with a brain full of skepticism and sarcasm. Ryan grinned when he imagined Shane's very own episode. The Unnerving Mystery Surrounding Shane Madej._

Minutes blended into hours, and Ryan found himself awake at an ungodly hour, the screen blaring light onto his face, with a notebook riddled with information on black eyed demons pretending to be human and curious things that he remembered about Shane.

And then finally, halfway through reading an article about... he didn't remember... Ryan Bergara fell asleep on the keyboard.

#### NEWSPAPER

Ryan was in the house again, this time in the paint room, whispers in his ears and breaths down his back. A newspaper fluttered into his hands, the date in the seventies but part of the page ripped out.

He opened his eyes and gasped, staring at his computer screen, which was still on. In his doze he had typed nonsense into the search bar with his face.

_isowneessiuciuuuyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyytttttttttt-_

Ryan stopped there.

It was still dark out, and the time on his computer read 3:33 am. _What a fucking coincidence that is._

He jumped suddenly when his phone buzzed next to him, blaring Shane's custom ringtone, a picture of his big stupid smiling face staring through the screen.

_'Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down–'_

Ryan answered and thankfully cut off the horrid tone. "It's like three in the morning dude."

_"Sorry, uh, Ryan, I can't stop thinking about why I made you mad today, yesterday? Um, I just needed to say I'm sorry. People aren't my strong suit, not like this."_

Ryan slumped his shoulders and felt a familiar warmth in his chest. That was Shane. He smiled.

"It's fine man, I, it's not your fault, I'm just jealous."

_"Jealous?"_

"Do you– do you think you'll be able to sleep tonight? Or can I, can I come over? I'm kinda freaked out right now, we can talk about stuff, maybe watch a movie..." Ryan's heart dropped when he realized how dumb and wrong all the research was. Shane wasn't a demon, of course he wasn't. He was a good, caring friend.

_"I mean, sure? An all nighter is nothin' on good ol' Shane Madej!"_

"Heh, yeah... I'll be right over."

_"Alright Ryan, I'll see you."_

Ryan hung up, and pressed his phone to his forehead. "Fuck, I'm stupid."

First getting mad at Shane for no reason, then researching into him like he was a fucking... criminal, or some shit? Ryan felt like utter garbage. And after Shane had broken a bathroom door just to be sure Ryan was safe.

"Fuck."

#### MISPLACED

"Hey man, come on in."

Ryan shut the door behind him. "Hey, uh, sorry... you really couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah..." Shane shrugged. "It happens sometimes."

"Were you really that scared?"

Shane hesitated, because yes, god, he was. He didn't want to lose Ryan, he didn't want to lose anyone ever again.

"Concerned," he corrected, trying to cover it up. But his cheeks were pink with embarrassment, and Ryan noticed.

"Yeah yeah big guy, whatever you say. Listen, I wanted to talk, about, I don't know, you just, I don't know, I'll get there."

"Let me make us some tea first," Shane smiled. "Gather your thoughts and make yourself at home."

"Drink some tea while we spill some tea."

Shane laughed, and Ryan wheezed back, sitting down on the couch. He shut his eyes and tried to think of how he'd word everything he'd been holding in. Finally he could talk to Shane about his insecurities, his fears, everything. God, he needed to do this. And then maybe Shane would understand why he got mad.

Ryan bounced his knee, anxious, and he found himself fiddling with objects on Shane's coffee table. He picked up a crumpled up piece of paper and hesitated.

The way the paper felt under his fingers... it was newspaper. He recalled the dream, the ripped newspaper that he had noticed when they went to the location but had not cared about.

He un-crumpled the newspaper, and stared at it for a few moments. It definitely fit the newspaper in the house; it was a picture of gathered hippies obviously protesting.

And then Ryan choked on nothing, when he saw Shane's lanky form, in the dead center of the photo, arms out, face filled with rage and mouth open, shouting something that could no longer be heard.

Ryan knew that wasn't a doppelgänger. He knew Shane, had been staring at his face for a long time, and that, with no doubt, was Shane Alexander Madej, in a time he shouldn't have even been alive.

Ryan parted his lips, and his throat was dry, and no words came out.

An instant later he heard something shatter, and he turned his head. There was Shane, his hands twitching, fragments of two mugs at his feet.

His eyes were pure fucking black.

"You weren't supposed to see that."

And then Ryan screamed.

#### TERROR

"RYAN WAIT!" Shane shouted, and then Ryan sprinted for the door, yanking it open and getting to his car in a matter of seconds. Shane called for him again, stopping in the doorway and watching the car swerve away. "Fuck!" Shane shook his eyes back to brown, and he stumbled as he ran out into the road, his hands shaking violently, the jig was up, _the jig is up Shane it's all over he'll never forgive you now you big fucking idiot!_

"NO!" Shane growled and clutched his head, falling to his knees in grief. "No no no no NO THIS CAN'T BE–"

He scrambled back to his feet. "What the fuck am I doing?" He backed up, and ran to the garage. "WHAT THE FUCK AM I DOING!" He skidded to a stop, realizing he didn't need to fucking drive, and he shut his eyes.

 _Ryan's place,_ he pictured it in his mind, and he was there. He was inside, and it was dark, and Shane felt everything crash down on him. Ryan knew. He knew, it was over. The life he so carefully built, Unsolved, Ryan, all of it, it was going to end.

He heard the noise of Ryan's car, and he gasped. He hid in the darkness, like he once did for a living, dissolving the human form for the time being.

Ryan stepped inside, slamming the door, his eyes wide with horror. "Shane..." he whispered, and he knew the air was just a little bit too cold. "Fuck, Shane, g-get out!"

Shane didn't respond.

Ryan scrambled for the kitchen, grabbing salt, and then sage, and he remembered the squirt gun, the fucking squirt gun. It still had holy water in it, but not much.

He found it in his room, and then carrying all the crap, he tripped and nearly fell down the stairs, had it not been for the hand that grabbed the hood of his jacket.

Shane stood there, black eyes wide, and Ryan stumbled down a few steps, gripping the railing with white knuckles. He shot the squirt gun straight in Shane's face, and the demon let out an almost inhuman noise and recoiled, pressing his body against the wall and cupping his face with his hands. Ryan heard sizzling.

"Stay back!" Ryan exclaimed, feeling his chest tighten. He hurt his friend. But... his friend was a demon. A demon was in his house.

"Let me explain, god please–"

"Who did you possess?"

"What– Ryan no! I'm not possessing anyone!" Shane stepped down, and Ryan scrambled so far back he ran into a small table, wincing as the end jabbed into his thigh.

"Ryan, there was never a Shane Madej. It's just me." Shane stepped forward, cautiously, and Ryan pointed the gun. "S-Stay back. Listen to me, I'm going to make a salt circle and you're going to get the fuck in it, or I'll fucking– I'll–"

"I got it, hey," Shane raised his hands, eyes flicking back to brown. "I won't hurt you."

Ryan, shaking, stepped back a bit more and poured salt onto the floor, in a circle. Shane did as he was told, stepping in it and feeling it work it's magic on him. He slowly, calmly sat. "Calm down, Ryan, I–"

"You, you fucking liar," Ryan sniffled and wiped tears away. "Who the fuck are you? Why are you here, was this some kind of, sick plan? Were you going to get me famous just to kill me and feed off the despair of all those people, people who LOVE AND ADORE YOU–"

"Ryan, god, please!" Shane barked. "I had no ulterior motive, I just wanted a life! Ryan, Ryan Ryan Ryan, we had a good time, I can't believe I ever thought this would work. Not after fucking Zachary."

"W-Wait," Ryan lowered the pistol, stepping back. He was crying, hysterically, and when he looked at Shane, he swore he saw those familiar brown eyes glisten with tears as well. "Y-You don't need to, possess?"

"No, Ryan listen, please, let me talk–"

"NO! WAIT!" Ryan knew he was contradicting himself. He fell to his knees, and put his hands on his head. "This whole time..."

Shane didn't speak. He couldn't; the way Ryan looked at him, it made him want to sink back into hell, where he belonged.

They both sat silent, Ryan sobbing and watching Shane sit motionless, eyes blank.

Eventually Ryan slumped against the wall and glared at Shane, all his tears gone.

"What's your name?"

"Shanedj, look it up. It'll be there."

"Sha-fucking-nedj? How did no one else fucking make that connection?" Ryan felt empty.

"Demonic deception. Read my little biography," Shane nodded to Ryan's phone.

Ryan took it and looked it up, and sure enough, there it was.

He clicked on the article and read it.

_Shanedj is a high ranking demon of trickery and deception. It can trick the human eye and even alter memories and events. It is said to be extremely charming._

"Oh my god. Your family–"

"Fake."

Ryan screamed in frustration, and Shane shuffled back, holding a hand out.

Neither of them spoke until they both saw the sun coming out. Ryan's eyes were red and bloodshot, and he still glared at Shane, not breaking eye contact.

"Ryan," Shane said softly, and Ryan shook his head. "Tell me why. Why would you... fuck, Shane, I trusted you," he leaned forward. "I trusted you, dammit! You're my best friend!"

Shane looked at his hands; so, remarkably human.

"I wanted to feel something human. I was tired of standing and watching, I... I wanted friends. I wanted a job, I wanted to be happy."

"Why me? Why Ryan fucking Bergara?"

"I didn't want you to... to be... hurt. I knew you'd find a real haunted place and I knew you'd get in some kind of danger, I didn't want that, for you. You were just becoming a friend then, and I didn't want you to get hurt."

Ryan was quiet. He stood up.

"I have to upload the episode today. Then tomorrow we have to go to a new place, then the supernatural season will be over. I don't care if it sucks ass, I just want this to be over. Then... then... I don't know."

Shane stood. "You're not gonna... call, a priest, or... or send me to hell...?"

"I don't know, Shane! I just found out my best friend is a demon, okay! But I can't exactly just leave the show behind with no explanation and–"

"Okay! Okay."

Ryan approached the salt.

"Who's Zachary?"

Shane pursed his lips.

"He was a really good friend. He... he even knew about me, knew what I really was. He, was drafted. Vietnam war."

Ryan glanced at his feet.

"He didn't come back."

Ryan kicked some of the salt away. "No tricks."

"I promise," Shane whispered, stepping out.

#### TENSION

The demon episode went out, sure enough. Almost immediately the fans knew there was something wrong; from the abrupt ending to Shane seeming oddly defensive and silent during the whole thing, it was clear that something happened. For some people it was proof the demon was real, that it attacked, and for others it was proof shyan was canon.

Shane's eyes danced through the tumblr theories at work; they usually brought him joy.

They didn't.

Ryan was engrossed in the final stages of scriptwriting, and of course he didn't speak to Shane. He had gotten more bottled holy water and had it convenient on his desk with a hole in the cap for squirting. Shane gazed at it and felt unsafe.

"Do you eat souls?"

The question was sudden, and Ryan glanced at Shane, afraid. Shane smirked. "No, Ryan, I don't."

"Okay sorry." Ryan went back into his work, but it only lasted a minute.

"Why do you eat? Or drink?"

"Because it's fun, and, it tastes good. I quite enjoy tasting things. I like... Fruity Pebbles, the best. And then popcorn. Then some kinds of tea. Sorry, I, I'm talking too much."

"It's... whatever."

Another hour of silence. Neither of them were very productive.

"I found a picture of myself on the Titanic," Shane turned his computer screen towards Ryan, and the smaller man side eyed the picture. His eyes sparked with interest, and he looked at Shane again, brown eyes so pleading and sorry.

Ryan sniffled and looked back at his computer. _He's a demon. An actual demon. He's been lying to me nonstop for years._

#### TALK

It was an eight hour drive, of course it was. They had to spend eight hours with each other in a small, confined space.

Ryan stared ahead as he drove, his eyes dark. Shane flicked with his phone, looked out the window, and listened to music.

"Do you... like music?" Ryan asked, his interest taking over, though he was still terrified and mad at the entity sitting next to him. Shane nodded. "Everyone gives humans a bad rap, but, this?" He held up the phone. "Is amazing. Music is one of my favorite things about humans. It's like, showing your soul to the world. I wish I had a soul."

"What is... my soul... like?"

"Kind, timid, but talented. You're insecure, just sometimes, and you lack confidence... I always try to make you... better, at the things that you're not good at."

"I..." Ryan trailed off, unsure how to react. "You sound sincere."

"Because I am."

Ryan took a deep breath. "That night, I was going to say that... the only reason I got mad uh, is because I, I envy you, Shane. Your bravery, your indifference. You're confident when pitching ideas to the higher ups, you had Ruining History in the bag. I... I wanted to be more like you."

Ryan pulled over, and pressed his head against the wheel, coughing out a sob. "But now I know it's just because– because you d-don't even– need to be worried! You won't die of starvation if you go homeless, you won't–"

"Ryan! Are you seriously worried about dying of starvation?! What the fuck!"

Ryan scooted as far away from Shane as possible; he was mad.

"You have your whole life ahead of you! You aren't going to run your career to hell, you aren't going to fuck up everything, you have money, a fan base, and ME, DAMMIT!"

Shane shut his eyes and cursed. "I didn't mean to yell. I'm... I'm scaring you."

He recoiled and brought his knees to his chest, hiding his face between them. "Nothing good may ever last for me, Ryan," he took in a shaky breath. "But you? You're going to– to go places, Ryan. I believe in you."

Shane looked at Ryan, his face wet. He touched his cheek and scoffed. "So, unbelievably human of me."

Ryan's hand shook as he held it out. He was scared, but sometimes you have to face your fears, and get over some shit, because there are people counting on you.

He rested his hand on Shane's shoulder, his eyes wide. Shane inhaled, shocked, as he felt the familiar gentle touch.

Ryan jumped and immediately recoiled, starting up the car again. "We're almost there," he mumbled, and Shane sighed.

#### ANOTHER

"You like houses this season, Ryan," Shane said into the camera, and Ryan held his hands out. "That's all you can think of? Where are your, your insults, and, just, what the fuck?"

"Well I'm kind of not okay right now buddy, as you can see," Shane stood, and walked past the crew, jogging upstairs.

"What is up with you guys today?" The cameraman asked, but Ryan barely heard. His fingers twitched, he contemplated whether or not to go after Shane. He didn't want to push the limits, he knew their relationship was currently being held up with a single strained string. And what if Shane got angry and hurt him? He wouldn't... but what if he did? Dammit, Ryan hated his mind.

He huffed and made a decision, walking cautiously up the stairs.

Shane was in an empty room, staring at the empty cradle in the middle. A baby had died there.

"Shane... uh... Shanedj?"

"Shane is fine," the demon chuckled emptily at the way Ryan pronounced the name, like he was walking on eggshells and cutting his feet. "I like Shane a lot better. There's a ghost here, two. The mother is very insistent I leave."

Ryan froze. "Wait, r-right here?"

"Don't talk too loud, the baby is trying to sleep," Shane put a finger to his lips.

Ryan opened his mouth, frozen in fear. Shane reached out, and put a gentle hand on Ryan's back. "This is Ryan. Ryan, this is–"

"Debra Alton and her baby boy Frankie."

Shane smiled. "Ryan is a nice guy, look, I'll go if you want."

It was silent, but Ryan swore he heard whispers.

"I'll go. No cameras, I promise."

"What?" Ryan whipped his head to Shane. "Wait, no, no no no Shane don't leave me here with–"

"She's nice, she just wants to keep her baby safe," Shane smiled. "Come back down whenever you want."

Shane shut the door behind him as he left, and Ryan was plunged in darkness.

"Is that it? Do the cameras scare you?"

"I value privacy." The voice was a whisper in the swirling darkness, a woman.

Ryan nearly screamed, but remembered; the baby was a sleep. "I... I understand."

"You're afraid."

"A-A little."

"Don't be, son."

Ryan stayed still as he felt a chilling hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes I am afraid too. Remember to be safe, son, especially around that demon."

Ryan nodded. "I'm still... processing him."

"Take your time honey," another hand caressed his cheek. "He can wait, if he really is such a good friend. You always come first."

Ryan let a few tears fall. It was all making him emotional. It got colder around him, and there was a whisper in his ear.

"This house is more than it seems. The baby is sleeping... but something else was too. Until recently."

Ryan held his breath. "What?"

"Tell that Shane to keep alert, and if he doesn't protect you he'll have to deal with me."

And in an instant the cold was gone, and the door opened on its own.

Shane was at the bottom of the stairs, gazing up. He was smirking, but it was different somehow. Something was wrong.

"Where's the crew?"

"I told them they could go," Shane smiled wider. "We're going to have some fun on our own."

Ryan stumbled back. "Shane?"

Shane took a step forward. "Finally, I get to ruin Shanedj's little idiotic life. And I did, with those dreams I gave you, you finally saw. Finally, I'm awake. Finally, I can kill Ryan Bergara. Come here boy!"

"What the fuck!" Ryan felt his feet dragging him down the stairs, involuntarily. "Shane!"

"Shane isn't here right now," the demon growled, eyes black as tar. "Now, his good ol' buddy Joret is back in business. He made me dormant in this house because I was threatening to expose him, because I wanted to kill you. Not anymore, I'm awake, a little demon named Roph helped with that."

Joret lifted Ryan off his feet by the neck, and Ryan gasped for air and kicked his feet. "Bye bye Bergara."

" **Leave him alone!** "

Ryan suddenly fell as Joret let go. He wheezed (but not the good kind) and coughed as he regained his breath.

He turned around and gasped. There was Shane, at the top of the stairs, black eyes enraged, a deep growl coming from his mouth. His hands blackened and turned into sharp claws, and when he grit his teeth they were sharp as well.

Ryan had never seen Shane so furious.

" **You laid a hand on my best friend,** " Shane's voice was unwaveringly menacing. Ryan felt the air get tight and cold. The two demons glared at each other, with Ryan in the middle, quivering.

"You put me to sleep."

" **No one fucking TOUCHES RYAN BERGARA!** "

Ryan scrambled behind Shane, holding out his squirt gun.

" **Perfect, Ryan, get back, around the corner. Stay put, no matter what you hear. I'll be right with you,** " Shane growled, and Ryan nodded. He pressed himself against the wall and heard Shane's boots step down the wooden stairs.

Ryan heard hissing and screeching and things breaking, and he stayed put, like he was told.

But then there was silence.

Ryan waited for a few more seconds, and then he peered around the corner, down the stairs, and he froze.

One of them was on the ground, his stomach bleeding out black blood, and one was standing over him, claws out, panting.

The problem was, they both looked the same.

"Ryan, quick, let's go!" The victorious Shane held out a hand.

"Don't follow him!" The wounded Shane stood up, shakily. "He's not the real Shane!"

" _He's not the real Shane!_ "

Ryan held out his squirt gun, his face pale. "When's my birthday?" He asked, feeling like he was in a movie.

"November 26!" Both said in unison. Ryan cursed.

"Where did I graduate?"

"Chapman!" Both spoke again.

"Who's my girlfriend?"

"Helen Pan!" Again.

Ryan gasped, and he knew this was the only possible way. He felt suddenly very idiotic.

"If you agree with me that the bear is the deadliest animal in the world then I won't shoot you."

"Of course!" The victorious Shane nodded. The wounded one just stared, confused. "Really, you're doing this now? First off, it's the shark, obviously, second off–"

Ryan shot the unharmed Shane right in the face, and the real Shane gasped. "Oooohhh!!! Oh Ryan Bergara, you genius!"

Ryan grinned, feeling a wave of confidence as he continued to shoot at Joret. "You hurt my friend!" He shouted. "And your name sounds like jorts and I hate you!"

Shane laughed, stumbling and walking closer. "Get him buddy! Corner him!"

The smell of sulphur made Ryan cough and breath through his mouth, as Joret, body steaming, fell to his knees. Shane pushed him to the ground and held him down with his boot.

"Now listen. Run back to hell with your tail between your legs," he said in a mocking tone.

"Or you'll have the boys to deal with," Ryan added, and the two smiled at each other.

Joret growled, but suddenly there was nothing beneath Shane's foot anymore.

Ryan looked at Shane, and then smiled, and then fainted.

#### NORMAL

Ryan woke up at the motel they had rented, gasping for air. Shane stood up and walked over, sitting on the bed. "You alright buddy?"

"Did I fucking faint?"

"Yep."

"Holy shit," Ryan covered his face. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I demon poofed us back to the motel. And cleaned myself up," Shane touched his stomach where he had been hurt. "I'll heal."

"Oh shit, yeah, wait, are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be–"

Ryan hugged Shane, pulling him in tightly. Shane smiled and hugged back. "Oh, Bergara."

"I'm hugging a demon."

"Yes you are buddy."

Ryan broke the hug. "Tell me everything. God, everything, I want to know it all."

"Starting from...?"

"How far back do you remember?" Ryan scooted closer. Shane smirked.

"Medieval times, 1300s. That's when I took this form," he gestured to himself. "Before that... I think I may have... shut it out? I don't remember it."

Ryan nodded.

"Anyway, there wasn't much to see. Death, plague, assholes... there was a lot of that. I just, people-watched. It was interesting, but, I felt empty, y'know? I didn't talk to anyone, didn't form relationships... until Zachary." Shane sighed. "He was my best friend, like you are now, but it was the seventies, and he was old enough to be drafted. He made me feel something, for once. He made me... feel alive. Human, even. And when he died..." Shane growled. "I was enraged. But, that's when I started, becoming a hippie. Tie dyes, weed, protests. I felt like I was changing something, and it felt good. For once I believed in something."

Ryan opened his mouth, and Shane pointed at him. "Before you ask, yes, I can get high, it just takes a lot."

Shane chuckled. "Those days came and went, and then with Watergate and everything, I slipped away to mourn. I was afraid to make another connection, but then I had an idea, and I said fuck it."

Ryan leaned forward. "You could have a life. Craft one, with your powers."

"Get a job, a home, pretend to be human. I was done being demonic, I'd just have a normal life and do stupid food videos–"

"But then..." Ryan winced. "Me."

Shane laughed, and wrapped an arm around Ryan. "I had to save my little damsel in distress when Brent left Unsolved! And I thought oh hell, why not? I'll keep the little human safe, be his opposite for the show's sake... and here we are!"

Both of them were laughing again, and it felt good, and warm, and familiar.

"Oh shit dude I just realized something!" Ryan's eyes lit up. "I win!"

"What?"

"Ghosts are real, I win!" Ryan stood up and jumped on the bed.

"Ryan I was only pretending–"

"Boogaras win, Shaniacs lose, I win I win I win!"

Shane got up and jumped with Ryan. "I'll give you this one, buddy! But I still don't believe in plenty other things that you do! Don't forget... aliens? Mothman?"

Ryan stopped bouncing, his smile falling.

"Shit!"

Shane laughed and sat back down. "Come on, let's get you to sleep. We'll tell the crew that the night was a bust, that we need another place."

"I have a backup place we could go to," Ryan nodded. "A factory–"

"Don't talk to me about that right now, I want to sit here and do nothing and think of other things."

Ryan got under the covers. "You... don't sleep?"

"Nope."

"But have you tried?"

Shane hesitated. "...No."

Ryan giggled and turned the light off, feeling safe with his best demon friend next to him. "Try with me, okay?"

Shane nodded, and he laid down, shutting his eyes. This time, he let his thoughts trail off, and let the wooziness overcome him.

And the demon slept.

#### EPILOGUE

"Shane, up up."

Shane shot awake with a gasp. "Holy fuck holy shit what the fuck–"

Ryan laughed. "You slept."

Shane blinked. "Woah. I slept. I slept through three am? I've never slept, I feel... refreshed."

Ryan smiled. "I'm gonna take a shower. Do you like sushi? There was this place Helen recommended–"

He paused, and gasped. "Oh my god Sara! Do you really like Sara? You better!"

"Of course I do, idiot!" Shane pushed Ryan. "I'm a demon, not a psychopath, I have emotions!"

Shane was quiet.

"I'm going to tell her soon."

"Awww, your relationship just became so much cuter!"

Shane threw a pen at Ryan. "Leave me and my love life alone!"

"You're my best friend, I'll never leave you alone!"

Ryan was so happy, they both were, and Shane's heart soared. It worked out alright.

"Hey uh, would it be offensive if I, I mean, saw what you really look like?"

"Well, I don't really look like anything, I'm just... an entity. But here, I'll give you this."

Shane got off the bed and backed up. His eyes turned black, his claws returned, and his teeth sharpened, all the things Ryan had seen. But then, curving horns poked through his hair, his ears pointed and blackened, and finally, black wings extended from his back, along with a thin, long tail with a pointed edge.

"Hey Ryan."

Ryan gasped. "Holy crap wait, do you really– wait!!"

"This look is kinda cliché, but hell I like it," Shane folded the wings and laughed at Ryan's shock. "What do you think?"

"I want you to fly me around at night on those things."

"Ryan!"

It was a good day. They went out for breakfast, and also lunch, and they talked a lot about demon stuff, stuff that Ryan couldn't dream of finding on the Internet.

At the sushi place, Shane ordered a lot. Ryan was timid with raw things, but he came to enjoy salmon a lot. Only if lots of rice came with it.

"I love sushi!" Shane exclaimed, his mouth full. "There's one thing I can cross off the human to-do list."

"You have a to-do list?"

"Oh totally!" Shane handed over his phone and opened Notes, where he kept a very long list of human things he wanted to do.

"Dye your hair? Pierce your ears? Why haven't you done this stuff yet?"

"I've been afraid to change my appearance! I like my body!"

"There's a tattoo and ear pierce place right across the street."

The two looked at each other.

"We'll take the check!"

In a matter of minutes the two were there, and Shane's eyes were wide with wonder.

"I want a tattoo! Ryan, get a matching tattoo with me!"

Ryan jumped. "No! I thought you were just getting your ears pierced!"

"Why not both?"

Shane's childlike wonder and impulsiveness was amazing. Ryan wished he could be more like...

_It's just a tattoo. A small one. Just a small one._

Ryan cursed. Shane grinned, and they went inside. A nice fan who worked there sat them down, giggly all the while. Ryan and Shane gave her their autographs and took pictures with her.

"What are you two thinking?"

Ryan and Shane thought for a few moments.

"One of us gets ghoul, the other gets igans–"

"No."

"Okay, how about," Shane hummed. "Each of us gets a demon wing, and then when we put our wrists together it's all cute and shit."

Ryan wheezed, and nodded. "On our wrists?"

"Sure!"

Ryan whimpered. "Okay."

"I'll be right here with you the whole time Ryan."

"Shut up Shane."

Ryan squealed and whimpered a lot, but it was done; he did something impulsive and scary. Shane made him strong like that.

"Now my ears. Ryan, pick some earrings out bud!"

Ryan stood and left to pick some out. He went for really small gold colored hoop earrings; they were subtle and had a demonic flare to them.

"Shane uh, I got you these, they seem pretty demonic," Ryan held them out, and it was surprisingly heartfelt. Shane smiled. "Thanks Ryan. Thank you so much."

Both of them knew the thanks wasn't entirely for the earrings. Ryan was accepting Shane, for what he was.

"Demon or no, you'll always be my best friend."

Shane hugged Ryan again, not caring that they were in a public place.

Stupid human societal norms weren't his piece of cake, and he wanted to show Ryan how much he loved him.

**Author's Note:**

> want more demon!shane content? fuckign bet  
> also sorry my fucking paragraphs are so short im used to wattpad formatting but i'll get better at that lmao  
> this is copy and pasted from my wattpad i actually wrote this a little while ago uwu


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